Broadway show: Wicked
Debut Year: 2003
Type of show: Musical
Our rating: 10/10
Re-watchability: 10/10
I am reviewing another Broadway production, this time the ultra-famous Wicked. It debuted on Broadway in 2003 and has sold millions of tickets on Broadway and while on tour. There is much to discuss about this musical, from its opening scene, to the storyline itself and its conclusion. I will also discuss the ticket pricing and where I sat in the theater during the performance. So, let me go ahead and get on to the review of Wicked, shall we?
Wicked tells the story of how the Wicked Witch came to be in Oz, and how she became the Wicked Witch of the West. It also explains how the Good Witch (Glinda) arose and examines the paths that led to both witches becoming who they were destined to be before Dorothy arrives in Oz from Kansas. While Wicked focuses on the Wicked witch of the west, it also intertwines her storyline with that of the Good Witch of the South (Glinda) as well. It does this very well through explaining how these 2 witches were in school together, and how bullying and being different led one toward Wickedness while acceptance, popularity and happiness led the other to Goodness. The story goes on to explain how the winged monkeys controlled by the Wicked witch of the West came to exist. It also explains how Scarecrow, Tin man, and the cowardly lion all came into the land of OZ.
I felt that the story of Wicked made excellent use of a great storyline with musical accompaniment. If you think this is just going to be a story about good and evil, well be prepared because the backstory to OZ is designed to turn everything you thought you knew about that place on its head. Glinda, the Good witch of the South is also the ditzy one. Overflowing with good intentions and totally clueless. Meanwhile, the Bad Witch of the West (Elphaba) is the smart, talented witch with social issues that come from being well, “different”. Don’t associate Wicked with evil, either. You will have a hard time leaving this play ever seeing OZ in the same light again.
We all know the story of how Dorothy goes to Oz, confronts the Wicked witch of the West, melts her by throwing water on her, takes her broom and eventually returns back home by tapping her red slippers. But, that version of events never really helped us understand any of the key characters. For example, Glinda initially tells Dorothy after she arrives in Oz that if she wants to go home she will need the help of the all-powerful Wizard of Oz. Yet at the end of the story, it is Glinda who tells Dorothy she could have gone home any time by just clicking her ruby red slippers together and repeating, “I want to go home. I want to go home”. WTF? Glinda knew that the whole time how Dorothy could get back home but wouldn’t tell her until after she risked life and limb traversing through the land of Oz? What is wrong with that witch anyway? And just why is the Wicked witch of the West so angry all the time, and what’s up with her flying monkeys? If you are like me, those have always been disturbing loose ends from the Wizard of Oz that required far, far more explanation. With this storytelling we learn the good doesn’t always mean smart, and wicked doesn’t always mean evil. Looking different may make people appear evil, but ultimately one needs to look more deeply than their skin to truly understand them.
Let me now discuss the ticket pricing for Wicked. Like my previous review, Aladdin, I got tickets for about $100 a piece for the upper part of the theater where I sat. Again, this is a Broadway show so there are absolutely no truly bad seats in the house. While it may seem like the further away you sit from the stage the worse the seats, but that just isn’t true. I enjoyed sitting in the higher seats where I feel the acoustics of Broadway theaters are terrific. You can hear every piece and every note being played from the orchestra, and every word being said or sung from the stage. While I did not get to see this play with the original cast of the show, I still had a marvelous good time watching this musical.
The show opens with the Wicked witch just having been defeated by Dorothy, and the people of Oz asking Glinda, the Good witch, about it. While much of the story is told through the eyes of the Good witch, the audience comes to appreciate the world around them better through the eyes of Elphaba, the wicked witch. The musical hooks the audience with a simple request to know more about the Wicked witch. As the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy have both left, It starts when a townsperson in Oz asks Glinda how the wicked witch came to be.
I don’t wish to spoil the show for you, but as I indicated earlier you will find out how the winged monkeys, Tin man, Scarecrow and the Cowardly lion all came to exist. You will learn the connection between the Wizard of Oz and Elphaba, the childhood connection between Glinda and Elphaba, how Elphaba learned to fly and many other details about Oz. All this is against a background of well written songs detailing the many relevant and most important Oz events prior to Dorothy’s arrival.
This was just one fantastic production. The cast of Wicked all had amazing voices, and a great amount of acting experience. The set pieces of Wicked were beautifully designed and made me feel like I was right there with the cast members. This is a Broadway production that I agree with everyone who has seen it before, this is truly a must-see show. You will not be disappointed by Wicked.
The closing of this musical was also perfect. I truly enjoyed watching the resolution of all the plotlines, including the shocking reveal at the end. I can honestly say without reservation that I truly enjoyed watching Wicked from start to finish. It was so good that I wouldn’t have any problem going back and spending another $100 to see it again and giving it my undivided attention. The 2.5 hour show goes by very quickly because the musical moves along so fast. It is so enjoyable and fun that it keeps the audience entertained from the start to finish. In fact, after the show was all done and the cast was on stage taking their bows in front of the audience, the whole audience got up gave the cast a standing ovation. It is obvious to those of us in the audience, this was a cast that loved what they did. That always makes for an amazing time for all of us at a show. I sincerely doubt anyone was checking their phone are texting out of boredom while attending this show. I had an amazing time at Wicked and would definitely go back to see it again and would encourage any of my readers to go see it.
Thank you for reading.
Jason
